Susan Poag / The Times-PicayuneApplicants for emergency food stamps wait in line at the Alario Center on Thursday.

Thousands of South Louisianians could go hungry this weekend because of the Department of Social Services' poor handling of the state's emergency food stamp program for storm victims. That is unforgivable.

Not only did the department initially underestimate how many people would seek help, but officials have continued to make a mess of things. The day that the state finally expanded its hours to attempt to handle more applications, department leaders abruptly closed numerous sites because of expected winds from Hurricane Ike.

Wind shouldn't have been an issue. The processing centers should have been large enough to handle everyone inside. Besides, Ike has been on the horizon for two weeks. There's no reason for anyone to have been caught off guard by the storm's outer bands.

The on-again, off-again nature of this process is maddening. One Marrero woman tried four times over a two-day period to get assistance for her family. First she found the entrances blockaded because the state's staff at the Alario Center was overwhelmed. Then, when she stopped by after work Thursday, she found the center had closed four hours earlier than announced.

This is ridiculous. The initial missteps early in the week could be forgiven as the state ramped up the emergency program. But by Thursday Social Services secretary Ann Williamson and her staff should have worked out the kinks. If anything, the process seemed to be getting worse.

With Thursday's shutdown, many residents in need of aid were left hanging, possibly until Sunday or after. The department seems not to understand the emergency aspect to this program. The evacuation for Hurricane Gustav left hundreds of thousands of Louisianians in a financial bind.

This state's economy relies heavily on hourly workers, many of whom don't get paid leave. If they aren't at work, they don't have any income. With gas prices so high and thousands of people still recovering financially from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, this evacuation drained the bank accounts of many working people.

The emergency food stamp benefits are designed to go to people who wouldn't normally qualify for government aid but who are in need of help because of a disaster. They needed help Monday, and the fact that they're still waiting today is indefensible.

Gov. Bobby Jindal has said that some state officials will face consequences because of the "unacceptable plan" for distributing food aid. Someone should be held responsible for this mess, and it seems like the governor ought to start with the leadership at the Department of Social Services.